Everything about Malvales totally explained
Malvales is the name of an
order of
flowering plants. As circumscribed by
APG II-system, it includes about 6000
species within nine
families. The order is placed in the
eurosids II, which are part of the
eudicots.
Families (APG system)
Many species of Malvaceae s.l. are known for their wood, with that of Ochroma (balsa) being known for its lightness, and that of Tilia (lime or linden) as a popular wood for carving. The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) is used as an ingredient for
chocolate. Kola nuts (genus
Cola) are notable for their high content of
caffeine, and in past were commonly used for preparing of various cola drinks. Other well-known members of Malvales in the APG II sense are
daphnes,
hibiscus,
hollyhocks,
okra,
baobab trees,
cotton, and
kapok.
The plants are mostly
shrubs and
trees; most of its families have a
cosmopolitan distribution in the
tropics and
subtropics with limited expansion into
temperate regions. An interesting distribution occurs in
Madagascar, where there are three endemic families of Malvales (Sphaerosepalaceae, Sarcolaenaceae and Diegodendraceae).
The
morphology of Malvales is diverse, and there are few common characteristics. Among those most commonly encountered are
palmate leaves, connate
sepals, and a specific structure and chemical composition of the seeds. The
cortex is often fibrous, built of soft
phloem layers.
Classification
Family boundaries and circumscriptions of the "core Malvales" families Malvaceae, Bombacaceae, Tiliaceae, and Sterculiaceae have long been problematic. A close relationship among these families, and particularly Malvaceae and Bombacaceae, has generally been recognized although until recently most classification systems have maintained them as separate families. With numerous molecular phylogenies showing that Sterculiaceae, Bombacaceae, and Tiliaceae as traditionally defined are either paraphyletic or polyphyletic, a consensus has been emerging that there has been a trend to expand Malvaceae to include these three families. This expanded circumscription of Malvaceae has been recognized in the most recent version of the
Thorne system, by the
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, and in the most recent comprehensive treatment of vascular plant families and genera, the
Kubitzki system (Bayer and Kubitzki, 2003).
The dominant family in the
APG II-system is the extended Malvaceae (Malvaceae
sensu lato) with over 4000 species, followed by Thymelaeaceae with 750 species. This expanded circumscription of
Malvaceae is taken to include the families
Bombacaceae,
Sterculiaceae and
Tiliaceae. Under the older
Cronquist system the order contained these four "core Malvales" families plus the
Elaeocarpaceae and was placed among the
Dilleniidae. Some of the currently included families were placed by Cronquist in the
Violales.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Malvales'.
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